Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Follow Me!

There's something about Google's blog "following" feature that cracks me up. It sounds so imperial and authoritarian. When I log in to my account each day, I'm told how many "followers" I have. Although I don't personally care how many I have, I do somehow feel a perverse desire to increase the ranks of my followers. I suppose it's my inner dictator trying to express himself. So, let's nurture that, shall we? Imagine me posturing Mussolini-like on a balcony somewhere:

Citizens! Now is the time to cast off the titanium, carbon-fiber, and aluminum shackles that have for too long bound you! Strip away the spandex and lycra uniforms that, let's be honest, never looked good on you, and don the garb of the casual cyclist. It is time once again to travel in comfort and style on machines of steel! Let us reject any crank that is not cottered! Let us praise great Sturmey-Archer hubs! Let us accept that there is some rust that just won't come off! Let us ride old bikes!

Okay, whatever. Here's the deal: if you have a Blogger or Google account, you can officially follow the OBB by clicking the new Following widget to the right. And don't worry if you're shy, you can follow publicly or anonymously.

Soon, I will have a mighty army of followers! A mighty army that travels on old bikes! A mighty slow army!

Okay. I guess I'd probably follow more blogs if they gave a direct appeal like that. Your blog has been on my blog list for a long while, though. I do the thing where the blog list is presented in order of the latest post so that at a glance I can see if there's anything new and read the post ASAP hot off the intertubes.

Up close she shows the disgrace of having been a garage queen for too long. There are many nicks and chips in the paint. But I faithfully wipe her gently down with a oiled rag after every ride, in hopes of preserving the remaining finish.

I have many bikes but that particular one has been long wanted and once obtained is and probably always will be my favorite.

Haha! I am the only blogless follower of the Old Bike Blog via Google blogger. 5 years ago nobody would have understood that sentence.I often think about starting my own blog but in tone and subject I'm not sure how it would be too different from this one, except it would not be as good or updated as often, so instead I just pester Thom with pics of the various things I find on the side of the road or at Craigslist/garage sales. When I get time Thom, I'll send you a pic of the '84 Fuji Del Rey someone left on the street.

Policy Regarding E-mail Questions

I am no longer answering technical questions about bicycles or responding to e-mails asking me about value, age, etc. of old bicycles. Please check the resources I have listed on the sidebar if you are looking for this information. This is a comprehensive list of everything I know about, so if you can't find it there, neither can I.